| Shane Lachance | Tabor Academy | NE Prep | L | F | 6’4″ | 190 | Boston University | 2021 | Andover, MA | 2003 | 2020-2021: C+ |
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, July 2021: How can you not like this kid if you’re watching the 2021 National League playoffs? Shane is exactly what NHL General Managers will be craving in the draft. He’s big. He’s strong. He keeps getting better. And he’s mean. I’ve actually had multiple New England prep school coaches tell me they don’t like how he plays because he has too much of an edge and can get mean. I don’t know, but I think that’s a huge compliment. He’s 6’4″ and around 190 pounds right now, but he’s going to come screaming out of Boston University at around 220 with more skill, a lot more power and more opposing coaches thinking he’s too mean. I would 100% draft him because I think he wants to be a player. He left prep hockey to go to the NCDC Florida bubble to continue his development and I think it was the right call. He’s needs to continue working on his foot speed and grow into his body, but I honestly think improvement over the past few years has been just a glimpse into what we’re going to see.
Neutral Zone’s Ed Besinger, June 2021: Shane is a big body listed at 6’4’’ and just under 200 pounds. He suited up for the Junior Bruins in the NCDC this year where he totaled six goals and nine assists in 25 regular season games. He is committed to Boston University. He is a big, rangy player that is still raw. He is most effective below the dots in the offensive zone and controls the puck well around the net. Aggressively jumps on loose pucks and rebounds and has some snarl to win net front battles. He uses his body well to protect the puck and has a long wingspan and reach which lets him put pucks into safe areas, away from defenders sticks. Rolls off contact well and keeps his feet moving to fight through pressure. He gets to the blue paint and likes to battle for rebounds. Does not get pushed off the puck easily and will compete hard in all three zones. He plays physical and is fast on the forecheck and takes good angles to pressure defenders into bad decisions. Long stride that is improving and continues to get better as he gets stronger. He drives the net well and plays fast north/south. He has some touch and soft hands and makes slick plays in tight spaces.
NCDC: Boston Jr. Bruins vs South Shore Kings, December 2020: There is a lot to like about Shane’s game, but what stands out to us is his continual improvement. Each time we see him he looks stronger, quicker and more confident. He simply outworks his opponents along the walls and wins 50/50 battles. He is still figuring out his massive body and how to use his reach to his advantage, but (again) he looks more fluid and agile every time we see him. Shane has NHL upside and will play professional hockey.
NE Prep: Emptying the 2019-20 Prep Notebook, November 2020: Lachance really burst onto the scene last year after his first season of prep hockey. We knew him first when he was plying his trade for Andover HS, helping to lead that squad to a Super 8 appearance. No matter, we saw him play his first game with Tabor at the St. Paul’s Jamboree and it sure didn’t take him long to adjust to prep. The tall and strong winger was all over the ice in this game, affecting play on every shift. He was working hard all game long and Groton simply had no answer for him because he was so effective at controlling the play. He possessed the puck for long stretches on every shift and nobody could really take it from him; he had his head up just looking to make things happen in the offensive zone. He was strong on his stick which meant that when he didn’t have possession he was able to gain it back on the back check with a stick lift. He also was able to poke pucks loose with his long reach and transition it going the other way. Scored the first goal of this game with a slick forehand-backhand move on the opposing goalie. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that on day one that his 2004 age group was available to commit he signed up with BU where his father played previously. Grade: A+
QMJHL American Entry Draft, June 2020: Rimouski Oceanic-Shane made the move from Mass HS to Tabor Academy in 2019. Usually it takes time for a player to adjust. We didn’t see that at all. He was a good solid player with strength and the ability to score around the goal. His jump in the last year has been excellent. At the Avon Tournament, he made a major impression on VP Brian Murphy. He wrote the following: Shane left a real impression on us at Avon. He is 6’4” and strong with room to add more muscle. His skating has improved a lot from his Andover HS days. He played like a man here. He dominated shifts, hit with strength to wear opponents down and create turnovers. His stick is long and active and he is the best penalty killer we have seen on NE Prep all year. That’s says a lot about his instincts and brain for the game. He dominated on the man down and even created up ice. He ripped a shot off the bar on day one and we got our first look at his NHL caliber shot. He was able to catch bad passes whether in his skates, behind him or even ahead as he extended with exceptional reach. He protected the puck and is a low risk, high reward player. His net front was terrific as he screened goalies and showed he could redirect shots, even from mid-air. He used his reach the change the angle on his shot and he fired a lot of rubber on the net. He scored on the power play on the second day as he ripped a wrister home from the top of circles. He scored on a rocket one-timer. He was on pucks on all weekend and was a man among boys. The August 2003 was the best prospect in this report based on what we saw at Avon. He plays a pro-style game and is big, strong, smart, active and competitive. High level prospect that NHL scouts will be watching closely in a year. Should have his pick of any college. Murph’s Take: This is a great pick but come July, I suspect the swarm of colleges will come calling. He was a man against boys when I watched. Big, strong, tough and he can score. His shot is a rocket and he hits his spots. I wrote an entire feature on him after the USHL Draft where he was taken #128 (steal) in Phase II. Here is a link to that report: Shane Lachance. Draft Grade: A+
USHL Draft: Tri-City, May 2020: This pick may hold the most value of any. Shane played public high school hockey for one year as a freshman where he was a big, strong player who scored and had success. He appeared at Tabor Academy (Massachusetts) this season stronger, leaner and faster. At 6’4”, he is a beast. He hits to create turnovers and rips the puck like a pro. He has an exceptional reach, catches bad passes in stride and plays like a man despite being an ‘03. He was the best prospect we saw at the Avon Christmas Classic and one of the very best in Prep hockey. NHL teams will have eyes on him next year as his game is coming together rapidly.
NE Prep: Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic, January 2020: Shane left a real impression on us at Avon. He is 6’4” and strong with room to add more muscle. His skating has improved a lot from his Andover HS days. He played like a man here. He dominated shifts, hit with strength to wear opponents down and create turnovers. His stick is long and active and he is the best penalty killer we have seen on NE Prep all year. That’s says a lot about his instincts and brain for the game. He dominated on the man down and even created up ice. He ripped a shot off the bar on day one and we got our first look at his NHL caliber shot. He was able to catch bad passes whether in his skates, behind him or even ahead as he extended with exceptional reach. He protected the puck and is a low risk, high reward player. His net front was terrific as he screened goalies and showed he could redirect shots, even from mid-air. He used his reach the change the angle on his shot and he fired a lot of rubber on the net. He scored on the power play on the second day as he ripped a wrister home from the top of circles. He scored on a rocket one-timer. He was on pucks on all weekend and was a man among boys. The August 2003 was the best prospect in this report based on what we saw at Avon. He plays a pro-style game and is big, strong, smart, active and competitive. High level prospect that NHL scouts will be watching closely in a year. Should have his pick of any college.
U16: ECC Labor Day, September 2019: Lachance is a massive forward who seems as though he is only getting bigger by the season. He is listed at 6’3 190 and he looks every bit of that size when you see him in person. We wrote the word “moose” in our notes: he is an athletic player but he is still adjusting to his bigger body and heavier frame. This comes with time for all power forwards and the lanky MIAA player from last season looks to have added some muscle which makes his mobility a bit tougher. He still has the same vision in the offensive zone to make good centering feeds and the right temperament to go to the front of the net and take hacks and whacks in order to score goals. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to prep hockey this season at Tabor. Grade: B-
Mass Festival 2003s, May 2019: Shane is a big, lanky forward that uses his body well to create chances. He is still improving his feet and agility. He takes a little while to get up to speed but is tough to slow down once he gets there. Drives the puck wide and is a matchup problem for defenders at this level. Tough to contain down low and is tough on the puck in the corners. He creates space with body positioning and has a big shot. Will need to continue developing his agility but has a solid base to build on. He will not be back at Andover HS. Grade: B
Massachusetts High School Report 2, May 2019: Lachance is a young forward with a big body who stood out immediately in the game that we saw vs. Billerica. From the minute the puck was dropped, he darted into the offensive zone, set up shop behind the net and wrapped a puck around for a goal 19 seconds into the match. Following that, he played a pretty consistent strength game and that allowed him to maintain possession for long stretches. He may have been one of the youngest players on the ice in this game but his ability to A-frame with possession of the puck was equivalent to that of a senior. He is not a fast skater per se, but he moves pretty well given his frame. We would love to see him play with a more consistent pace and to use his feet more often in order to put pressure on the defense. He still has a lot of time to round his game into form and he is quite lean at this stage. Once he starts to add more weight on that frame he will become a real nightmare to deal with as he becomes an upperclassman. He is headed to Prep School. Grade: B+
U16: ECC Labor Day Showcase, September 2018: Lachance is a long, lean forward who has good size for a player who is playing up in the U16 division. He still has yet to gather the strength required in order to defend the puck against stronger players but we liked his ability to gain possession and skate the puck aggressively up the ice using those long strides. He has a good reach and is able to affect plays both defensively and offensively by pulling the puck into his body. He is still figuring it all out but his athleticism in the MIAA will do quite well for him this coming season. Grade: B-
ECC Futures, June 2018: One of the younger players here but didn’t look out of place. He moves the puck well and finds seams through the neutral zone. Athletic and has a good first step to escape pressure. Uses his body to shield the puck and create time and space to make plays. Made some nice touch plays in the offensive zone which created scoring chances. Interesting prospect to follow. Grade: B
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images